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Bible reading for weekend Nov 19 -- 21 Nov 19 -- Amos 8 and Luke 3 Nov 20 -- Amos 9 and Luke 4 Nov 21 -- Obadiah and Luke 5 ================ "In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old..."  (Amos 9:11)  THE HARVEST HAS COME (ch 8). There's a wordplay in the first two verses: "summer fruit" (Heb., qayits ) and "the end" (Heb., qets ). It's an illustration that the summer has ended and the harvest -- not what they expected -- was upon them (cf Jer 8:20). Their life of affluence and leisure was about to come to an end. At the fall of Samaria (capital of Israel) in 722 BC, the people would be exiled and scattered among the other nations. They would experience a "famine" of God's word in that God's prophets would no longer come to them (like Ezekiel did for the Jews in Babylon) nor would they have the strong group identity that come...

Bible reading for Nov 10 -- 11 Nov 10 -- Joel 2 and Psalm 142 Nov 11 -- Joel 3 and Psalm 143  ================   "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. " (Joel 2:28-29)   REPENTANCE, AND OUTPOURING OF THE SPIRIT (ch 2). The pestilence is like the invasion of a mighty locust army (vv 1-11; cf Rev 9). Hosea calls for repentance from the people -- all people and all ages (vv 12-17). The Lord promises restoration (vv 18-27), and the coming age (the church age and beyond) would be marked by the Holy Spirit indwelling all believers, not just kings and prophets (vv 28-32; cf Acts 2). Following this outpouring would be another Day of the Lord, the final one, "great and awesome" (v 31; cf Matt 24; 1 Thess 5:2-3). And in preparation for that...

  Bible reading for weekend Aug 20 -- 22 Aug 20 -- Jeremiah 49 and Psalms 26-27 Aug 21 -- Jeremiah 50 and Psalms 28-29 Aug 22 -- Jeremiah 51 and Psalm 30 ================    "Thus says the LORD of hosts: The broad wall of Babylon shall be leveled to the ground, and her high gates shall be burned with fire. The peoples labor for nothing, and the nations weary themselves only for fire." (Jeremiah 51:58) SURROUNDING NATIONS (ch 49). We are continuing in Jeremiah's pronouncements against the nations near to Judah. As we read such biblical prophecies, often written poetically, we may need a scorecard or program to know who's who and what's being said. For example, "Why then has Milcom dispossessed Gad, and his people settled in its cities?" (v 1) Milcom (aka Molech) was the national god of the Ammonites, and Gad was one of the tribes of Israel. At some time in the past the Ammonites had forcefully taken and settled in some of the cities of Israel. Now it...

Bible reading for weekend July 9 -- 11 July 9 -- Jeremiah 5 and Matthew 19 July 10 -- Jeremiah 6 and Matthew 20 July 11 -- Jeremiah 7 and Matthew 21 ================    "Thus says the LORD: 'Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, "We will not walk in it."'" (Jeremiah 6:16) FAILURE OF THE ELITES (ch 5). The leaders of Jerusalem and Judah also have fallen away from the Lord. The prophets (so-called), priests, scribes, judges, and royal officials alike are all on the moral skids. Education in and of itself will never save a society (v 5). These elites are more interested in sex and extra-marital affairs than in leading with righteousness. Popular opinion holds sway, and there is no remorse or shame, for "they love to have it so" (v 31). SOCIETY-WIDE FAILURE (ch 6). Note how widespread is this apostasy: "For from the least to the greatest of...

Bible reading for July 7 -- 8 July 7 -- Jeremiah 3 and Matthew 17 July 8 -- Jeremiah 4 and Matthew 18 ================    "For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: 'Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts...'" (Jeremiah 4:3-4a) RETURN TO THE LORD (ch 3). Judah's unfaithfulness to God was like the breaking of a marriage vow. They needed to repent with a whole heart and to forsake the idols they worshiped (made of stones and carved trees, vv 9-10). Like children we can be superficial with our repentance, saying a quick "I'm sorry" and then going back to our routines. Like Judah we should be honest and thorough in dealing with our sin. We see these admonitions reflected in the NT, for example, in James 4:1-10. He writes, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded"...

  Bible reading for June 23-- 24 Jun 23 -- Isaiah 55 and Matthew 3 Jun 22 -- Isaiah 56 and Matthew 4 ================    "...so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11) HIS WORD GOES FORTH (ch 55). This is one of my favorite chapters in the OT. I know, I say that about a lot of chapters. But it's all here, the follow-up from the atonement accomplished by the suffering Servant (ch 53), which results in the covenant promises, "...my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed..." (ch 54). And now the invitation, "Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (55:1). Doesn't this remind you of Jesus' words, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me an...

  Bible reading for weekend May 21 -- 23 May 21 -- Isaiah 22 and 2 Peter 3 May 22 -- Isaiah 23 and 1 John 1 May 23 -- Isaiah 24 and 1 John 2 ================    "Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants." (Isaiah 24:1) VALLEY OF VISION (ch 22). In the last oracle of the previous chapter (21:13-17) Isaiah returns to a short-range prophecy, concerning the Arabian tribes to the east of Israel. This chapter (22) is addressed to Jerusalem during Hezekiah's reign and the impending Assyrian siege. A number of archaeological finds have given supporting evidence to the events of this period. The people were eager to make physical and military preparations but trusted too much in their own abilities. As Tom Constable summarizes , "This oracle reproved the people of Jerusalem for trusting in the arm of flesh to protect them from their enemies. Isaiah epitomized and condemned this attitude by citing S...

  Bible reading for May 12 -- 13 May 12 -- Isaiah 10 and James 4 May 13 -- Isaiah 11-12 and James 5 ================    "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD." (Isaiah 11:1-2) ASSYRIA, A TOOL (ch 10) . Complete and total judgment would come upon Assyria for their arrogance and pride. The Assyrians thought they were a mighty people, when in fact they were merely a tool in the hand of the Lord, like an axe (v 15). And when the Lord was finished bringing chastisement upon his people he would dispose of that tool. As in other times of Israel's history, there would be a remnant preserved, and a regathering of his people from exile. THE BRANCH (ch 11) . At the center of God's purposes for Judah and Israel, and all the nations, is the Messiah. ...

Jan 8 -- Ezra 8 and Acts 8 Jan 9 -- Ezra 9 and Acts 9 Jan 10 -- Ezra 10 and Acts 10 ================    "Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles." (Ezra 10:6)  RETURNING HOME. In chapter 8 we read the names of the Jews who made the long journey back to Jerusalem along with Ezra. God provides a company of Levites, needed to lead worship at the rebuilt temple. God also provides gold and silver, and a safe journey. They had fasted and prayed, and the Lord's hand was upon them (8:18, 31). But in chapter 9 and 10 we discover that things are not well in Judea. The persistent problem of religious compromise had again taken hold in the nation, and the leaders were foremost in this offense (9:2). God has willed that his people marry others who are consecrated to the Lord (2 Cor 6:14-16). Child...

Bible reading for weekend Dec 19-20.  2 Chronicles 22-24. "And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, 'Behold, the king's son! Let him reign, as the LORD spoke concerning the sons of David.'" (23:3)  KINGS AND QUEENS, PRIESTS AND PROPHETS. These chapters give account of the fascinating history also recorded in 2 Kings 11 and following: the brief reign of Ahaziah; the murderous rampage of wicked Queen Athaliah; the faithful priest Jehoiada tutoring young King Joash; and the latter years of Joash, departing from the faith and killing a prophet, the son of his faithful master Jehoiada.  After I wrote this I thought, hey, this sounds like a plot from Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, and then I remember that this story came first. The biblical dramas with their stories of power and betrayal, murder and secrecy, loyalty and courage, echo down through history. These themes are timeless. As you read these epic accoun...

Bible reading for Dec 18.  2 Chronicles 21. "He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one's regret..." (21:20)  NEXT UP. After Jehoshaphat's death Jehoram takes the throne and kills all of his royal siblings (v 4). He is acting like a pagan king, and in fact his wife is a daughter of Ahab (v 6). This is an example of influence which results from being unequally yoked (2 Cor 6:14-16). Despite all this evil God is faithful to his covenant with David and Jehoram will not rule long (v 7). "Whoredom" (vv 11, 13) means that Jehoram promoted the worship of other gods. Just as adultery is breaking the marriage covenant, so also the worship of other gods is being unfaithful to the covenant with the Lord. Also, sexual immorality often accompanied idolatry. This chapter includes the only mention of Elijah in Chronicles (v 20). His ministry was mainly to the northern tribes of Israel (the focus...

Bible reading for Nov 11.  2 Kings 24. "Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the LORD, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD would not pardon." (2 Kings 24:3-4)  WINDING DOWN. In the last chapter we read that Joash dies in battle to Pharaoh Neco. (From time to time Egypt was another player on the international scene.) Three more kings follow in rather rapid succession-- we'll call them J-haz, J-kim, and J-chin. Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem and J-chin surrenders, and the first deportation of Jewish exiles to Babylon takes place in 605 BC. Zedekiah (J-chin's uncle) is appointed king by the Babylonians but he too will rebel against Babylon.  All this time the prophet Jeremiah has been telling the nation to submit to the Lord's discipline and to not fight against the Babylonians. Sadly, the fal...

Bible reading for Nov 10.  2 Kings 23. "And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD." (2 Kings 23:2)  REVIVAL IN THE LAND. King Josiah now involves the elders of Judah, and then assembles all the people. The revival began in Josiah's heart through the hearing of God's law. Now God's word is read publicly to all the people (vv 1-2; cf 1 Tim 4:13; Col 3:16). They make a covenant to follow the Lord (v 3) and then proceed to remove the idols and every form of false worship in the land. [See the NETBible notes on this chapter for more detail.] "Asherah" was a fertility goddess (known by various names), and the Ashtoreth (plural of Asherah) likely referred to the the carved poles (or sacred trees) used...